Things might be looking up for Mac enthusiasts. As recently as last week we discussed the idea that Apple’s annual fall Mac event might be gone forever, but a new and credible report suggests otherwise. According to Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, Apple is preparing to launch the first round of M3 Macs, including an updated iMac and MacBook Pro, before the end of October.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that both online and in-store supplies of the iMac and all three MacBook Pro models are running short, in some cases leading to delivery estimates in mid-November. He describes this state of affairs as “a clear sign that something [Gurman’s italics] is about to happen.” Apple, for obvious reasons, tends to wind up manufacture and shipping of products when they are about to be superseded, and the company’s supply chain is so tight and efficient that observers can frequently predict an upcoming launch simply by noting lengthening delivery estimates.
But Gurman isn’t basing his predictions on stock shortages alone. He also has, or claims to have, inside information: “I’m told,” he writes, “that Apple is planning a Mac-centered product launch around the end of this month. That could be its chance to announce [an updated 24-inch iMac].” We don’t hear who told Gurman this information, but the reporter’s sources tend to be fairly reliable.
Stepping beyond his source material, Gurman goes on to say that he believes the end-of-month Mac announcement will take place on Monday, October 30, or Tuesday, October 31. Part of the reasoning behind this prediction relates to Apple’s scheduled earnings call on November 2, since the last time the company reported its financial situation in November rather than late October this followed an iPad/Mac event on October 30.
The event/announcement, according to Gurman, will almost certainly bring a new iMac, which was last updated in April 2021, and also could see the arrival of new MacBook Pros. As he notes, however, the 14- and 16-inch Pro models were only released in January 2023, and “an additional update the same year would be unusual,” he writes, “but not inconceivable.” The 13-inch model is far more likely to get an update, as the M2 model arrived in June 2022.
You can read all the latest rumors relating to the upcoming products with our guides to the new iMac and new MacBook Pro respectively.
